Generally, a washing machine is designed with two water supply hoses, both of which are directed to a common water supply port through which the water is fed into a water reserving drum.
FIG. 1 shows such a conventional washing machine.
A cool water supply hose 11 and a hot water supply hose 12 are respectively connected to corresponding taps and converged into one hose through respective water supply valves 13 and 14. The converged hose extends inside a water supply tank 15. Water directed into the water supply tank 15 through one or both of the cool and hot water supply hoses 11 and 12 and then through the converged hose is supplied into a water reserving drum through a water supply port formed on the water supply tank 15.
Since the above-described conventional washing machine has only one water supply port while having two water supply hoses 11 and 12, if the cool water supply hose 11 and the hot water supply hose 12 are inadvertently connected to the wrong taps (i.e., switched), a microcomputer cannot identify such an incorrect connection and unconditionally processes the washing operation upon identifying that washing water is supplied through the water supply port. Therefore, there is the possibility that water of the wrong temperature is supplied (i.e., cool water is supplied when hot water should be supplied and vice versa).
In addition, even when the cool and hot water supply hoses 11 and 12 are correctly connected to the taps, water supply problems may occur when the taps are turned off. That is, if the water supply valves 13 and 14 are opened, the microcomputer operates a pulsator to perform a washing operation even if the taps are turned off. As a result, the washing machine is operated in a state where washing water is not supplied.